4 AROMA 7/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 8/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 17/20
2007 bottle from MrBunn (Thanks!) Very dark amber brown pour, very little carbonation and an aroma of funky sweetness (prunes, brown sugar). Flavor started out with honey, then finished with brown sugar and some nice spiciness. Nice and warming all the way through, I hope I can get some more of this some day.
3.4 AROMA 7/10 APPEARANCE 5/5 TASTE 6/10 PALATE 3/5 OVERALL 13/20
Bottle. 2004 vintage. Pours a murky amber brune with a creamy off white head. Big etoh and lots of spices, some hints of oxidation, ginger root, dark fruit and a viscous body. Its okay.
3.4 AROMA 7/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 6/10 PALATE 3/5 OVERALL 14/20
Thanks to Northernbrews for sharing this eccentric brew, which was a little too eccentric for my tastes. Lots of caramel, ginger, spices and pine. Really weird.
4.1 AROMA 8/10 APPEARANCE 3/5 TASTE 8/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 18/20
Bottle. Nose is sweet with molasses and honey tones, ginger and something bubblegummy/fruity. Dark cloudy brown with a very small head. Flavor has a similar balance of sweet and spice with a lot more fruity, especially strawberries, plums, and raisins. Thick almost syrupy without being cloying. Good texture and low carbonation. Very interesting beer.
4 AROMA 7/10 APPEARANCE 5/5 TASTE 8/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 16/20
2005 bottle courtesy of Bryan. Pours a pretty chestnut brown, opaque, with a sopay beige head. Nose is heavy in brown sugar and fresh dates. Asian spices in the vein of orange peel come to mind. Really sweet flavor. Malty figs, dates, and brown sugar. A little burnt. Not overly heavy on the malt though. A little orange peel shines. Though it’s extremely sweet it all works and the flavor is nice. The subtle spices do play a role and offset that huge sweet body. Like it.
4 AROMA 8/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 8/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 16/20
2007 bottle from coyotehunter. 9.5% abv. Thanks Matt! Finally get to try some eccentric ale. As JCB mentions, the nose is very powerful. Spices, fruit, honey, syrup, brown sugar, raisins. Flavor is thick and equally complex. Its a big beer, but the alcohol doesn’t take over. A cool beer that I don’t think I’d want more than 6oz of at any one time.
3.9 AROMA 8/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 8/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 15/20
12oz bottle from Hoppymeal - thanks, Derek! The pour was viscous and ponderously dark, with a faint creamy carbonation and very little head (retention is more than solid, though). Almost impossible to pick out everything that’s happening in the nose. Toffee, molasses, mint, candy, even a bit of citrus? Super creamy mouthfeel, with a really intense and warming finish. This is Valhalla beer for sure. Spicy, with some licorice emerging as a somewhat dominant flavor, even combined with chocolate towards the finish. I certainly couldn’t have very many of these, but man, what an odd and impressive beer.
3.1 AROMA 7/10 APPEARANCE 3/5 TASTE 6/10 PALATE 2/5 OVERALL 13/20
Batch #7199 from 2005, courtesy northernbrews. Aged 4 years. Pours a dark but translucent mauve-violet color. Small, clear bubbles are framed with tan foam webbing. Sugary legging shows on the glass but leaves virtually no lace. The nose is ultra sweet, showing big notes of rum raisin, figs, dates, and brown sugar coated yams. Traces of oak and vanilla come throught as well. Flavors are intensely saccharine, notes of burnt marshmallow joining the brown sugar malts. Dark rum spiced with cinnamon, cardamom, and vanilla intensify the liquor-like feel. Lightly carbonated, hot, and syrupy, there are sign of oxidation, but imagine that the palate ismuch better when young. Interesting, but ultimately too sweet and not my cup of tea.
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